Whillet’s:- 2 Water Rail heard, 1 Stonechat, 1 Buzzard, 2 Long-tailed Tit already nesting.
Interestingly a survey of the early-flowering woodland plants showed many species are already starting to flower ~ Barren Strawberry, Cuckoo flower, Early Dog Violet, Dogs Mercury, Wood Anemone, Primrose, Ground Ivy and Lesser Celandine.
There is a lot of Frogspawn in the meadows. We also saw Brimstone and Peacock butterflies.
Dam End:- 1 Kestrel, at least 2 Chiffchaff, 3 Grey Wagtail, 1 Pied Wagtail. We walked along the public footpath to the picnic area where we cleared rubbish and tidied. We saw a number of Early Purple Orchids already well grown although not yet in flower; one unusually had unspotted leaves. We also found flowering Moschatel (aka Town Hall Clock) growing along the footpath.